Tatty Apple

Owen Owen and his three siblings are being reared by their widowed mother in the Welsh hills. It is spring and Owen remembers his father's last visit home from the oil rig when he promised a ride along the valley on the steam train -- just the two of them. Tatty Apple is a magical rabbit who pops into Owen's life and becomes his 'pet.' Through the mischievous and delightful rabbit Owen is helped to do a lot of growing up; coming to terms with his grief at his father's death and learning to experience and cope with conflicting emotions. The mix of reality and fantasy succeeds in many ways. It does not patronise its young readers either in language or content, presenting a convincing and sympathetic picture of hectic family life. (The one dud patch is Mrs Drain, a stereotyped 'wicked old woman'.) The story is tightly knit and fast-moving, the characters are three-dimensional, a strong sense of place is evoked. The book makes demands of its readers which are fully repaid.